Spaghetti alla Carbonara

October 21, 2015

I am lucky to have a husband who is a runner. Tyler is currently training for his fourth (say what?!) marathon in December and he’s getting to the point in his training where he has one really long run a week.

Why does this make me lucky? Because this means once a week we carbo-load.

I don’t run.

I don’t ever come close to running.

I did a weird hop-skip thing getting out of my car this morning, and that’s probably as close as we’ll get to a run.

Call me when there’s a Zumba marathon, and then we’ll talk.

But anyway, he asked if we could carbo-load over the weekend, and I said yes. I’m just super supportive that way, you know?

This carbonara dish is one of the easiest and most satisfying pasta dishes around. It’s a simple Italian recipe that uses eggs, pork (an authentic carbonara uses guanciale, but pancetta or thin bacon makes a good substitute), cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano and/or Percorino Romano), and black pepper.

The pork is cooked in olive oil, the cheese is mixed in with the egg, and everything is tossed with the hot pasta. The eggs will create a creamy sauce, but it is important to bring it to room temperature so that the eggs will not curdle when mixing. In this recipe, I tempered the eggs by slowly adding the residual pasta water. Tempering is a good way to increase the temperature of the eggs without scrambling them. Feel free to add more pasta water to the carbonara if the sauce is too thick (some even add a dash of cream). Serve warm and enjoy!

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook spaghetti to al dente. Be sure to reserve 1 cup of the remaining pasta water.

In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and lightly browned, stirring continuously to prevent burning. Remove garlic. Add the pancetta and cook until just crisp, about 4-5 minutes. Lower the heat and add the pasta and toss the noodles for 2-3 minutes until completely coated.

Very slowly add 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water to the egg mixture while stirring to temper the eggs. Add the cheese to the eggs. Remove the pasta from heat and pour the egg mixture in with the cooked pasta, tossing constantly until eggs are barely set. If desired, pour reserved pasta water on the carbonara until sauce has reached the ideal consistency.

It’s wonderful that you are so supportive;) I think I should start a Pinterest board called Jasmine’s recipes. I haven’t done the tempered egg thing before, I’ve been intrigued for years… this might just be the recipe that makes me take the plunge!

You are too kind!! The first time I tried to temper eggs they did scramble, but I think the key is just to add it slowly and gradually! And how can I not be supportive when I get to eat pasta once a week? 😉

This is your old recipe, but I found it just in time as I was planning to make it for dinner tomorrow – thank you for sharing! Oh, and when I get a hold of a Pecorino Romano wedge, it doesn’t live long enough to go into pasta…

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Jasmine

Welcome to The Richmond Avenue! I’m Jasmine – wife, new mother, pup-mom, accountant, and lover of all things pasta. Some of my favorite moments in life revolve around food, family, and friends, so I created a site to share recipes and stories in celebration of those moments. Read More…